"CERES is doing a great job in providing fieldwork experience in a
wonderful place. I truly enjoyed every bit of my visit there"Student Newcastle 2014

"I really enjoyed the hands

on approach to learning.

I also
found all the staff

incredibly friendly and helpful"

Student Sussex 2014

"Newcastle University students love visiting this beautiful part of
Portugal and CERES provides an excellent range of activities that
enhance their learning experience"Staff Newcastle 2014

"Absolutely fantastic week! Learned so much! Axul and Astrid and all the
staff made us feel right at home! The variety of places visited was great! Highly recommend this trip!
Student Portsmouths 2014

"Ceres field-courses in

SW Portugal are

transformative field experiences
for our students - and represent excellent value for money"Staff Portsmouth 2014

"In one word, the whole experience was amazing. There was and there is nothing I would've done differently and is certainly a trip I will never
forget"Student Ashbourne 2014

"Loved it!
Students are gaining invaluable experience and learning vital skills in
an fun, exciting and beautiful setting. Skills and experiences they will keep with them for a lifetime and that would be impossible to learn in a
classroom" Staff Ashbourne 2014

"All aspects were great but the 'best' is split between Carrapateira and Tom's cooking"Staff Plymouth 2013

geology / geography

field work for geology and geography courses

geology

The Algarve region has a
diverse and interesting geology. The south-western part of the Iberian peninsula
can be divided into Upper Palaeozoic rocks of the Variscan basement and
Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The Palaeozoic basement forms a mountainous range
of Devonian – Carboniferous rocks and extends to the littoral part of the
western coastline, exposed in Carboniferous shales of the sea cliffs. Further inland the Monchique Massif forms the
highest elevation of the Algarve (902m) consisting of alkaline igneous rocks (syenite)
that intruded during Late Cretaceous times. The famous Algarve Mesozoic
limestone cliffs are located along the south coast, with karst developments exposed
from the Cabo de São Vicente to Faro. East
of Faro, extending all the way to the Spanish-Portuguese border, a low lying
area is characterised by a Quaternary barrier island / lagoonal system.

tectonic

The region is tectonically very active up to present times, with the major
fault line (Sao Teotónio - Aljezur - Sinceira fault) running across Aljezur creating
small Cenozoic basins. The regional geological setting, together with the
seismic activity, create cliff instabilities, rock falls and smaller
landslides.

geomorpholgy

The west coast provides a large variety of different geomorphological coastal
formations: wide dune systems around
Amoreira and Carrapateira, small estuaries located between Villa Nova de Milfontes,
Odeceixe, Amoreira and Bordeira, Plio-Pleistocene and fluvial terraces. The south-east coast with its
barrier island system, wash over fans, small inlets and back barrier lagoon
systems provides great geomorphological examples. The lack of vegetation during
the dry summers and the mesotidal environment allow an easy access to study the
different formations.

Raised beach deposits

Pleistocene cemented dunes

Mesozoic structures

workshop format

Workshops, run by CERES staff with specialist knowledge and fieldwork expertise can be booked for either half a day or a full day. Workshops led by us enable the group leader to concentrate on other aspects of student learning that are not often possible with traditional self-led fieldwork. All workshops are tailored in direct consultation with the group leader to suit the groups requirements.

Day workshops are normally supported by pre-and post-excursion classroom activities that establish the context for learning and provide the necessary follow-up and reinforcement.